Silverman



April 6, 1954 SILVERMAN TOBACCO POUCH AND LINER 2 Shet's-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 2. 1951 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS 28 BY ga /y April 5, 1954 I. S-ILVERMAN TOBACCO POUCH AND LINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 2, 1951 J. INVENTOR BY QM W ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 6, 1954 TOBACCO POUCH AND LINER Irving Silverman, Great Neck, N. Y., assignor to Rogers Imports Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February 2, 1951, Serial No. 209,188

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to tobacco pouches and more particularly to liners for tobacco pouches having an interlocking beaded mouth which is adapted to be sealed when the mouth of the tobacco pouch is closed by a sliding closure.

Prior to the instant invention tobacco pouches have been manufactured with rubber linings including a pair of sealing beads at the mouth, which beads are adapted to be brought together by the action of a slide fastener attached to the mouth of the outer envelope. Such liners have not been found useful since the usual slide fastener closure is not fluid tight. The sealing effect of the sealing beads results in a fluid tight pouch which protects the contents thereof. It has also been proposed to utilize liners having interfitting grooves and ribs in the sealing bead, however such liners have been very difficult to manufacture and have not always resulted in a tight interfitting of the beads to prevent their accidental release.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved liner for tobacco pouches which will effect a tight seal and may be readily molded.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved method of making sealing liners for tobacco pouches.

Other objects and the nature and advantages of the instant invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a liner in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top view of the liner of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the liner after being turned inside out and riveted;

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the liner shown in Fig. 4 showing the sealing beads in closed position;

Fig. 7 is a view in perspective of a tobacco pouch containing the liner of Figs. 4, 5 and 6;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary vertical section taken through the unclosed pouch;

Fig. 9 is a view in perspective of the unclosed liner of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 10 is a vertical cross section taken through the closed pouch.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the tobacco pouch ii] comprises an outer envelope H which may be of leather, fabric or synthetic flexible material. The outer envelope l l is generally rectangular in shape, consisting of two halves sewed together on three contiguous sides with the fourth side being open to provide a mouth. The fourth side is adapted to be closed by a slide fastener I2 having an operating finger piece [3 pivotally attached to the sliding lock M which is adapted to engage the fastener elements l5.

The lining is for the pouch is a molded rubber bag having a mouth i1 and three closed sides l8, l9 and 2D. The lining I6 is of generally rectangular shape and while it may be made of rubber, it also may be made of synthetic plastic, such as polyethylene, Buna, neoprene (chloro-2 butadiene 1,3)or other equivalent material. The mouth 11 of the liner l6 has about its margins a pair of sealing heads 2! and 22 which are of relatively heavy section as compared with the relatively thin walls 23 and 24 of the body of the liner. It is significant that the walls of the body of the liner are thin at their junctions 25 and 26 with the beads 2i and 22 in order that they may definitely and readily flex as shown in Fig. 10 when the pouch is closed, with the liner 16 full of tobacco. As molded, the inner surfaces of the beads 21 and 22 comprise portions 21 and 28 which are generally in the shape of a halfcircle in section and which overhang the inner side of the thin walls 23 and 24. When the pouch is open, as shown in Fig. 8, the junctions 25, 26 will be spaced from the inner sides 3!}, 3!

of the outer envelope I I by a dimension approximately equal to the overhang of the bead portions 21 and 28, and when the pouch is filled and closed, the junctions 25 and 26 will still be spaced from the inner sides 30 and 3i of the outer envelope II by approximately the same dimension. The relatively thin wall portions 23' and 24' between the stitching 29 and the junctions 25 and 26 will take the curved shape shown in Fig. 10 and substantially all of the strain will be in the portions 23' and 24. The rounded portions 21 and 28 extend the entire length of the sides 23 and 24, respectively. At each end of the sides 23 and 24 the bead is widened as shown at 21' and 28'.

The bead 2!, as molded, comprises the half circle overhanging portion 21 on the inner side and a grooved portion 32 on the outer side thereof. The groove 32 is in the shape of an inverted dovetail, having locking corners 32 on the outer side which engage and retain the mating ribs 33 on the outer side of the bead 22. The rib 33 has a section in the shape of a projecting trapezoid with extending corners 33 at the inner end which are retained in engagement with the corners 32' sides of the beads 2| and 22, respectively. In this form, the beads can be readily molded since the grooves and ribs are on the outer surface and the inner surfaces are merely curved. This permits more readily separating the dies from the flexible liner after molding. The liner, being flexible, can be readily turned inside out after removal from the mold to yield the liner in the form shown in Fi 5.

To assemble the liner into the pouch, after molding the liner is turned inside out so that the groove 32 and the rib 33 face the inside of the pouch as shown in Fig. 5. Rivets 35 are then inserted at each end of the liner through the beads 2| and 22 at the widened end portions thereof 21' and 28'. Each rivet 35 joins the bead 2| to the bead 22 and results in the insertion of the rib 33 into the groove 32 at each end of the liner as best shown in Fig. 9. The liner is next sewed into the pouch l0 along the line 29. Any

suitable type of fastening means can be utilized instead of rivets.

In use, when the slide fastener has been closed, the liner is sealed by the use of digital pressure.

This is accomplished by sliding the fingers across the length of the pouch while pressing inwardly from opposite sides thereof. To open the pouch, the slide fastener is opened, and pressure is applied to both ends of the pouch until the sealing beads are forced apart in the center portion between the rivets.

It is significant that in the construction described the stress is transmitted horizontally when the pouch is held in an upright position so as to force the sealing beads into interlocking engagement in a horizontal plane. The interlocking of the corners 33 of the rib 33 with the corners 32 of the groove 32 in dovetail fashion forms a tight seal that cannot accidentally be separated, since a definite force is essential for breaking the interlock due to the flexibility of the rubber liner I6, yet the liner can be readily molded as described heretofore.

As an alternative construction, the liner can be provided with beads having larger curved portions 2! and 28, which liner is sewed into the pouch in such a manner that the act of closing the slide fastener results in the sealing of the mouth of the liner. The bearing engagement between the bead portions 21 and 28 and the inner sides 30 and 3| of the outer envelope results in the transmission of the necessary horizontal force from the outer envelope to the sealing beads 2| and 22 when the slide fastener is closed so as to effect the engagement of the rib 33 in the groove 32, as shown in Fig. 10. In the use of this pouch, after the pouch is filled with tobacco, the slide fastener is closed. The pulling together of the mouth of the pouch due to the ClOSlIlg of the slide fastener exerts horizontal pressure on the two sealing beads of the liner with the resulting interlocking of the beads from rivet to rivet as shown in Figs. 6 and 10. When it is desired to remove tobacco from the pouch, the slide fastener is opened, thus releasing the pressure on the interlocked beads. By exerting an outward pressure on the beads, such as by squeezing the ends of the pouch, they are forced apart at the central portion as shown in Fig. 7, the ends of the two beads always being interlocked due to the rivets therethrough. After the desired amount of tobacco has been removed, the pouch is again closed and sealed as described above.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made Without departing from the spirit of the invention and therefore the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification but only as indicated in the ap ended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A liner adapted to be turned inside out and then inserted in a tobacco pouch comprising a thin walled flexible bag having relatively thick integral sealing beads formed at the mouth thereof, each of said sealing beads extending adjacent the other sealing bead the entire length of the liner, one of said seailng beads being molded with an inner overhanging portion and a groove extending the length of the outer surface of said bead, said groove bein inverted dovetail shaped, the other of said sealing beads being molded with an inner overhanging portion and a rib extending the length of the outer surface of said bead, said rib being shaped so as to interlock with said groove when the liner is turned inside out and said rib and groove are pressed together, and enlarged portions formed as part of said sealing beads on the ends of the bag thereof, said enlarged portions located on the outside of said bag when said bag is turned inside out for insertion into the tobacco pouch.

2. A liner in accordance with claim 1 which has been turned inside out, and a fastening means at each end of the mouth of the liner, each said fastening means extending through both said enlarged portions whereby each end of said rib and said groove are always maintained interlocked and the portion of said beads extending between the fastening means can be either opened or interlocked.

3. In a tobacco pouch, a liner in accordance with claim 2, an outer envelope, a slide fastener at the mouth of said outer envelope for opening and closing said outer envelope, said liner being stitched to said outer envelope below said sealing beads whereby the overhanging portions of said beads are in contact with the inner Walls of said envelope so that when the slide fastener is moved from open to closed position said beads will be constrained to move toward each other in ahorizontal direction to cause said rib to enter said groove to seal the mouth of the liner.

4. In a method of forming a flexible molded liner for a tobacco pouch, comprising the steps of molding a flexible material to form a thin walled bag having sealing beads formed at the mouth thereof, said beads overhanging the inner and outer wall surfaces of said bag, the outer surfaces of said beads being formed with a rib and groove respectively on opposite sides of the bag, said rib and groove adapted to interfit, turning said molded liner inside out so that the rib and groove of said sealing beads are positioned on the inside of said liner, and fastening said sealing beads at each end of said liner, thereby interlocking said rib and groove at each end thereof.

5. In a method of forming a flexible molded liner for a tobacco pouch as set forth in claim 4, wherein said fastening is by riveting.

6. In a method of making a tobacco pouch comprising the steps of molding a flexible material to form a. thin-walled liner having sealing beads formed at the mouth thereof, said beads overhanging the inner and outer wall surfaces of said liner, the outer surfaces of said beads being formed with a rib and groove respectively on opposite sides of the liner, said rib and groove adapted to interfit, turning said molded liner inside out so that the rib and groove of said sealing beads are positioned on the inside of said liner, fastening said sealing beads at each end of said liner, thereby interlocking said rib and groove at each end thereof, positioning said liner in a pouch, fastening said liner in said pouch along a line adjacent the top thereof, and interfitting said rib and groove along the length thereof by laterally moving slide means secured to said pouch, thereby automatically sealing the mouth of said liner.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,909,726 Serenyi May 16, 1933 2,107,216 Rogers Feb. 1, 1938 2,111,079 Spear et a1 Mar. 15, 1938 2,140,672 Gray et a1 Dec. 20, 1938 2,332,589 Moss Oct. 26, 1943 2,337,116 Limbert et a1 Dec. 21, 1943 2,495,114 Leguillon et a1 Jan. 17, 1950 2,519,290 Saltz Aug. 15, 1950 

